liberal arts

plural noun

1

: college or university studies (such as language, philosophy, literature, and abstract science) intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop general intellectual capacities (such as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills

2

: the medieval studies comprising the trivium and quadrivium

Did you know?

Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?

The liberal in liberal arts is not political. Its roots can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning “free, unrestricted.” Our language took the term from the Latin liberales artes, which described the education given to members of the upper classes as well as to those with the full rights of a citizen; this education involved training in such subjects as grammar, logic, geometry, etc., as opposed to the education reserved for the lower classes, which involved mechanical or occupational skills. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.

Examples of liberal arts in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The school said the timing of the closure will allow current undergraduates at the small liberal arts school in western Massachusetts to complete their education at Hampshire or a partner institution. —Leah Willingham, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

Jaime Teevan, Microsoft’s chief scientist said last month that liberal arts education will be important for developing the soft skills that are still needed when other work is delegated to AI. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

Hampshire College, a liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, will close after 51 years in operation, becoming the latest school of its kind to shutter amid financial difficulties. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 Apr. 2026

The small private, liberal arts college has existed in Amherst since 1965 as an alternative to traditional higher education. —State House News Service, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liberal artes, borrowed from Medieval Latin artēs līberāles, going back to Latin, "pursuits, studies appropriate for a free man" — more at art entry 1, liberal entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for liberal arts

• cartes
• carts
• charts
• darts
• farts
• harts
• hearts
• marts
• partes
• parts
• smarts
• starts

Kids Definition

liberal arts

plural noun

: the studies (as literature, philosophy, languages, or history) in a college or university intended to develop the mind in a general way rather than give professional or vocational skills